Japanese PM orders emergency readiness after N.Korea test

Date of publication: 29 04 2017, 01:08

Shinzo Abe has ordered to step up security in the country after North Korea test-fired a ballistic missile, chief cabinet secretary Yoshihide Suga said Saturday.

“Prime Minister Shinzo Abe’s instructions were as follows: to gather and assess data, timely inform the population, ensure the safety of planes and vessels and take every precaution against emergencies,” Suga told reporters, as quoted by the NHK channel.

Yoshihide Suga also said that Tokyo’s assessment is that the ballistic missile fired by North Korea did not leave its territory, chief cabinet secretary

“A ballistic missile was launched at around 5:30 a.m [20:30GMT] today from North Korea’s territory. Our assessment is that it fell on North Korean soil,” Suga said at a press briefing, as quoted by the NHK channel.

He said Japan had lodged a protest against the launch, which it regards as a provocation and a clear violation of UN resolutions. South Korean and US military also described the test of a ballistic missile as a failure. They said it broke up in midair over land and did not reach the Sea of Japan.

North Korea is believed to have launched a KN-17 intermediate ballistic missile in the early hours of Saturday from a site north of Pyongyang. Japan, South Korea and the United States said the test appeared to have failed after the missile broke up within North Korean territory.